The 4th of July weekend will once again be a special time for the Daniels family. Since our children were little, we have traveled to Wichita to see our good friends Dave and Judy Hawkins. These are the God parents of Noah and Chloe. I was Dave’s youth pastor back in 1975, officiated their wedding, and greatly enjoy the bluegrass music he has shared with our family for many years. July is a month where we pause to think about freedom. Many of us at Knox church have relatives that served to fight for the rights of American freedom and other nations who were oppressed.
My thoughts today come to you from Galatians 5. Paul reminds us that Christ set us free from the penalty of sin and death. As Christians, we are not to become slaves to ‘lawful’ living. God has set us free to live through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to live by a faith working through love. When was the last time you told a Knox friend that you loved them? I think Christ wants for us to say things like this and mean them! During July, seek to practice Galatians 5:13 by serving one another. Let’s walk in God’s Spirit each day, not living in the power of the flesh. Satan delights when Christians attempt to live in the power of our own strength. Galatians 5:16 reminds us: “Walk by the Spirit and we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:22,23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Is this the character that describes us in the relationships we have with our neighbors? Let us walk by the Spirit each day we claim to be fully devoted followers of Jesus.

Fred